53rd edition of the great event dedicated to comics, animation, games, video games, fantasy and science fiction, the most important transmediashow in Europe promoting smart entertainment.

Lucca Comics & Games 2019, from October 30th to November 3rd, is back again with hundreds of exhibitors from all over the world, dozens of guests, almost a thousand events concentrated in 4 days in a city completely transformed by the community in this occasion.

Dreamers, creators of a fantasy world and comics, games, TV series, art and fiction fans, special guests, publishers and partners are back to create the most beautiful, imposing, peaceful and welcoming virtual reality of the West at Lucca Comics & Games. The biggest festival of Western pop image (almost 800,000 visitors in 2018) celebrates comic authors, artists, game designers, animators and producers exporting Italian creativity and innovation throughout the world like once the great artists used to do by building the foundations of our cultural heritage in the centuries. Every year the Italian publishing sector is renewed and celebrated inside the gorgeous location of the sixteenth-century walls. The creative community will be joined by major brands and international guests according to 5 values ​​that inspire the festival: inclusion, discovery, gratitude, respect and community.

Great brands and international guests according to the values that inspire the festival, #LuccaIsCommunity, #LuccaIsRespect, #LuccaIsInclusion, #LuccaIsDiscovery, #LuccaIsGratitude.

Nine cultural souls: more than a convention, more than a fair, more than just a festival. Lucca Comics & Games has been called the "fair of the fairs", "the mother of all festivals", "the Mecca of pop culture".

Becoming Human, the theme chosen this year - wonderfully represented in the poster designed by Barbara Baldi - is a tribute to this and to all kinds of mixtures, that enrich and open our minds to the future. Between virtual and real, digital and analogue, sleep and wakefulness, flesh and metal, silicon and carbon, all types of fusion are possible at Lucca Comics & Games, with stories that help us to discover what "being human" means.

IN THE SIGN OF TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING
Lucca is the city where all mixtures are possible and, in a world where everything is going to be digitally connected, it is important to be there, getting human again, better if in the streets of a medieval historic center. From this mix future humanity is born, and future will be the focus of some debates with fantasy world creators in the name of cross-media, ranging from science fiction of Bruce Sterling, one of the main representatives of the cyberpunk literature together with William Gibson, and by Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham, better known as James SA Corey, authors of The Expanse, to Andrzej Sapkowski, creator of The Witcher, whose stories - all along with those of Corey - come to life in  great television sagas.

AN ENTIRE CITY FULL OF DREAMS
The secret of the festival is the fusion of genres, contemporary mythologies, historical and monumental places, which has been an inspiration for dozens of events in recent years. Thus in the heritage of the Renaissance city new tales and old passions will come to life: the walls' ramparts become the scene of a timeless story. There will be the largest EPIC D&D ever organized in Europe, Magic: the Gathering, with numerous artists that have characterized the story of the game's illustrations and the young artists Steve Argyle and Jason Engle who assist the Wizards meeting in Lucca every year.

THE EXHIBITIONS

7 monographic exhibitions have been opened on Saturday 12 October at Palazzo Ducale : Suehiro Maruo (master of Japanese comics ranging between horror and erotism); Emil Ferris, awarded with the Gran Guinigi 2018 for the best graphic novel, with more than 70,000 copies sold only in the US; Barbara Baldi from Italy, author of the poster of this festival edition, an established colorist and illustrator, with two graphic novels published worldwide; the scriptwriter Alessandro Bilotta, award-winning author of numerous cult series; Armand Baltazar, senior art director for DreamWorks, Disney and Pixar.
Other exhibitions that can't be missed, from October 30th to November 3rd, are hosted at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni of the Banca del Monte Foundation in Lucca (Piazza San Martino): “Becoming Human: Be a Hero. Donatori: straordinariamente umani, semplicemente eroi" is the exhibition dedicated to national and international social communication campaigns for the promotion of donations with characters of comic books and superheroes as testimonials. The event is part of the national campaign for organ and tissue donation and transplantation "Diamo il meglio di noi".
“The Origin of Manga - From Hokusai to modern Mangas” is an incredible exhibition experience to analyze the link of traditionial Japanese illustration of the seventeenth century to the Manga genre of the 21st century, through a selection of about 200 works, that also host the famous "Wave" of Hokusai, which attracted thousands of visitors at the British Museum two years ago.
At the former Mercato del Carmine: From October 26 to November 3, the Mercato del Carmine, “Paperino siamo noi” - "Donald Duck is us" - more than just an exhibition, an interactive journey to discover one of the most famous Disney characters at the world, the universe of the famous character created by Walt Disney and his superhero alter ego "Paperinik", which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

SPECIAL INITIATIVES
Peanuts with Intesa San Paolo - Once again this year the collaboration between Intesa Sanpaolo and Lucca Comics & Games has been confirmed as an opportunity for all collectors: exclusively for the Festival, the bank will realize a customizable and free version of the Flash prepaid card in “instant issuing ". A gazebo will be set up in front of the bank in Piazza San Michele where it will be possible to personalize your prepaid card with the images of Lucca Comics & Games 2019 and the Peanuts characters including Snoopy, Charlie Brown and Linus.

THE GREAT MEETINGS
The knowledge of the world of comics is enriched, the program of Lucca Comics & Games includes panels, meetings with authors, quizzes and live performances, to learn more, reflect and discover the thousand dimensions of the Ninth Art by testing yourself on the most famous Italian and international comics. This year a Marvel quiz, a Disney quiz, a Saldapress quiz and a special quiz about 10 years of Bao Publishing are presented.
Comics Talks - Cartoons are also an opportunity for discussion, analysis and reflection on scenarios and trends, with the aim of telling and interpreting new ideas. In the program The end of the taboo: In today's comics, everything is allowed? My land, my imagination: even in fantastic fiction, in the end, authors tell their own places. Edited by Matteo Stefanelli.

THE GREAT STORY IS ABOUT TO BEGIN
Many partners also in this year's Lucca Comics & Games edition, including the "Fantastic 4": Radio DEEJAY as the official radio; Robinson-laRepubblica as the official media partner; RAI television as the official broadcaster, and Twitch as the official live streaming platform. Librerie Feltrinelli is alongside Lucca Comics & Games 2019 with many initiatives in the festival program. From October 17th the best titles and winners of the Gran Guinigi awards, the "Italian comics Oscars", will be on sale at all Feltrinelli bookstores in Italy and online with an iconic gift for the most passionate fans, the famous decorative balls made in collaboration with Lepalle.it.

Get more information on www.luccacomicsandgames.it